Your Newborn Baby Has Yellow Skin, Should You Be Concerned?

Most likely what your infant has is known as jaundice. In most cases, newborn
or baby jaundice is a minor symptom that will not hurt or affect your
baby's health in anyway. Yellowing of the skin or eyes in a newborn
is caused by an increase in the baby's bilirubin, a yellow substance
that your infant makes when his or her little body is replacing old red
blood cells. When your baby was growing inside of you, the placenta removed
all of the bilirubin from the baby's body. After your baby was born,
the baby's liver needed to take over this job and sometimes it can
take a few days for your baby's liver to master this task. It is very
common for a baby's bilirubin to be a bit higher right after birth
and is usually nothing to worry about.

Jaundice in a breast-fed baby is also very common, especially if your baby
is not nursing well or your milk is slow to come in. Usually it is nothing
to be concerned about. Breast milk jaundice may continue to peak until
2-3 weeks of life and then remain at lower levels for a few more months.
It is believed that jaundice in a breast fed baby may due to how nutrients
in the breast milk affect how bilirubin is broken down.

Even though jaundice or yellow skin in a baby is usually harmless and nothing
to worry about, it does not mean that it should not be watched or monitored.
Many times, babies with a high bilirubin level or jaundice will respond
to light or phototherapy while still in the hospital. If the bilirubin
level is trending down, the baby might be discharged to home with instructions
to come back and get a repeat bilirubin level in a few days just to make
sure the level is still going down.

If your baby's bilirubin level is not going down, your baby's pediatrician
may perform additional blood tests to see what may be causing the yellow
skin in your baby. Sometimes newborn jaundice can be caused conditions
that increase the number of red blood cells that need to be replaced in
your baby's body. Some of these conditions are:

More red blood cells which is common in smaller babies, twins or multiple babies

Sepsis or an infection in your newborn

Sometimes, there are other things that make it harder for your baby to
filter out all of the extra bilirubin in their body. Certain medications,
especially ones that are filtered out through the liver, infections, cystic
fibrosis, liver problems, hepatitis, hypoxia or multi-system organ failure,
or genetic disorders can lead to a higher level of bilirubin in your baby or
kernicterus.

Your child may need additional treatments if the bilirubin level is too
high or is rising too quickly. Sometimes, depending on what is causing
the jaundice, your baby may require an exchange transfusion of blood to
replace your baby's blood with fresh blood or intravenous (IV) immunoglobulin
to lower the bilirubin level before it causes permanent brain damage.

High levels of bilirubin or untreated severe jaundice can cause permanent
brain damage in a baby. When that happens, it is called kernicterus. If
a newborn develops kernicterus they can be left with permanent brain injuries,
developmental delays,
cerebral palsy, deafness, seizures, or blindness.

If your baby is yellow or jaundiced right after birth, most likely it is
normal. Just make sure you follow up on any lab tests that need to be
repeated and express any concerns you may have with your child's pediatrician.

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The information on this website is for general information purposes only.
Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any individual
case or situation. This information is not intended to create, and receipt
or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. Please
note: All cases are different and past results do not predict future case outcomes.

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